Wild Blue garter in MN? (WARNING: pictures/dead snakes found in nature)

[MNGuy]

DISCLAIMER: Don’t look any further if you don’t want to see pictures of dead snakes! I’m sorry for posting these. I was sad to see them, too. These snakes were found dead in a national refuge after a prescribed prairie grass burn. This is not a judgement call on prescribed burns. I am pro-prairie restoration.

I found this blue snake in the Minnesota Valley Nationals Wildlife Refuge on 5/4/18. I was shocked to see a blue garter. I’ve never seen one in the Midwest. Can anyone identify the species? I’m no good at that.

I found three more dead garters nearby that looked more like the ones I’m used to seeing here.

[guidofatherof5]

That blue color sometimes occurs in dead garters. Mn. only has 2 native garters. T. radix(Plains Garter) and T. sirtalis(Common Garter) Looks like T. sirtalis to me.

[MNGuy]

That blue color sometimes occurs in dead garters. Mn. only has 2 native garters. T. radix(Plains Garter) and T. sirtalis(Common Garter) Looks like T. sirtalis to me.


Thank you for the information!

[sschind]

I agree with guido. I think it might be a breakdown of pigments that causes green to turn to blue after death. I once found a dead smooth green snake that had a few significant patches of blue and I have noticed it on several garter snakes as well.